http://www.dannylipford.com/diy-home-improvement/safety-and-security/top-10-hurricane-myths-debunked/ Expert Advice on Home Improvement Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:39:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.dannylipford.com/diy-home-improvement/safety-and-security/top-10-hurricane-myths-debunked/#comment-44225 mike Wed, 06 May 2009 22:45:43 +0000 http://www.dannylipford.com/diy-home-improvement/safety-and-security/top-10-hurricane-myths-debunked/#comment-44225 In a couple of years, I will be moving to Florida for independent living. The list of myths and facts is very interesting, especially since my parents actually believe the myth that "a big hurricane will wipe out your house no matter what." Therefore, they love trying to convince me to "buy a flimsy mobile home" and I allready decided that mobile homes are a total no-no for me; I choose to live in a more substantial structure, preferrably made of concrete block. But they still love to tell me that "even concrete will never, ever stand a chance in a hurricane", which I know is blatantly false. For example, the Turkey Point Nuclear power plant just east of Homestead, Fl took a direct hit by Hurricane Andrew and survived with none more than a couple of damaged/cracked smoke stacks. But many times, I imagine my parents doing a research paper on Hurricane Andrew and saying in their paper that "the Turkey Point nuclear power plant, despite it's solid iron, steel, and reinforced concrete construction, was shattered and violently hurled from the ground by Andrew's winds, and the plant's remains now lie scattered throughout an approximately 150,000 square mile area of the Gulf of Mexico." The truth is, while I did read that there were a few concrete block homes severely damaged/destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, I also happen to know that there were many numerous concrete block homes that stood strong in Hurricane Andrew that were even directly in the path of Andrew's worst winds. In a couple of years, I will be moving to Florida for independent living. The list of myths and facts is very interesting, especially since my parents actually believe the myth that “a big hurricane will wipe out your house no matter what.” Therefore, they love trying to convince me to “buy a flimsy mobile home” and I allready decided that mobile homes are a total no-no for me; I choose to live in a more substantial structure, preferrably made of concrete block. But they still love to tell me that “even concrete will never, ever stand a chance in a hurricane”, which I know is blatantly false. For example, the Turkey Point Nuclear power plant just east of Homestead, Fl took a direct hit by Hurricane Andrew and survived with none more than a couple of damaged/cracked smoke stacks. But many times, I imagine my parents doing a research paper on Hurricane Andrew and saying in their paper that “the Turkey Point nuclear power plant, despite it’s solid iron, steel, and reinforced concrete construction, was shattered and violently hurled from the ground by Andrew’s winds, and the plant’s remains now lie scattered throughout an approximately 150,000 square mile area of the Gulf of Mexico.” The truth is, while I did read that there were a few concrete block homes severely damaged/destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, I also happen to know that there were many numerous concrete block homes that stood strong in Hurricane Andrew that were even directly in the path of Andrew’s worst winds.

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